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For as long as orchid hybrids have been made, breeders have been naming them after prominent women of the day. Chadwick & Son Orchids has named and presented namesake cattleyas to nineteen consecutive First Ladies. First Ladies and Their Orchids: A Century of Namesake Cattleyas tells the story of these nineteen hybrids and the First Ladies they were named after, from Woodrow Wilson’s second wife, Edith, who coveted “canaries, bourbon, and orchids,” through Doctor Jill Biden, who lives just minutes from the Chadwick home in Wilmington, Delaware.

Cattleyas, first introduced in 1818, are the flowers whose form and color defined the essence of tropical orchids for generations to come. This helpful and informative book describes each classic Cattleya species in fascinating detail and includes all that is required to appreciate and grow cattleyas successfully.